IB 

Union Calendar No. 668 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9121 

[Report No. 118–817] 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 

Act to allow Indian Tribal Governments to directly request fire management assistance declarations and grants, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 24, 2024 

Ms. DAVIDS of Kansas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

DECEMBER 5, 2024 

Additional sponsor: Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota 

DECEMBER 5, 2024 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 

and ordered to be printed 


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•HR 9121 RH

A BILL 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to allow Indian Tribal Governments 

to directly request fire management assistance declarations and grants, and for other purposes. 


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•HR 9121 RH

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Fire Management As5 sistance Grants for Tribal Governments Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. INDIAN TRIBAL GOVERNMENT ELIGIBILITY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 420 of the Robert T. 

8 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 

9 (42 U.S.C. 5187) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, Indian 

11 tribal government,’’ before ‘‘or local government’’; 

12 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) 

13 as subsections (c) through (f), respectively; 

14 (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(b) PROCEDURE FOR REQUEST.—The Governor of 

17 a State or the Chief Executive of an Indian tribal govern18 ment affected by a fire described in subsection (a) may 

19 directly submit a request to authorize assistance under 

20 this section.’’; and 

21 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(g) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this section 

23 shall prohibit an Indian tribal government from receiving 

24 assistance under this section pursuant to an authorization 

25 made at the request of a State under subsection (b) if 


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•HR 9121 RH

1 assistance is not authorized under this section for the 

2 same incident based on a request by the Indian tribal gov3 ernment under subsection (b).’’. 

4 (b) REGULATIONS.— 

5 (1) FIRE MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE DECLARA6 TION DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘fire 

7 management assistance declaration’’ means a dec8 laration approved under section 204.21(a) of title 

9 44, Code of Federal Regulations. 

10 (2) UPDATE.—Not later than 360 days after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the President 

12 shall issue regulations updating part 204 of title 44, 

13 Code of Federal Regulations, to carry out the 

14 amendments made by subsection (a). 

15 (3) CONTENTS.—In issuing the regulations re16 quired under paragraph (2), the President shall— 

17 (A) authorize the Federal Emergency Man18 agement Agency to directly receive a request for 

19 a fire management assistance declaration from 

20 an Indian Tribal Government and directly pro21 vide related grants and resources to Indian 

22 Tribal Governments; 

23 (B) clarify that Indian Tribal Governments 

24 for which the President does not grant a re25 quest described in subparagraph (A) remain eliVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:40 Dec 06, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9121.RH H9121

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•HR 9121 RH

1 gible to receive assistance under section 420 of 

2 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

3 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187) 

4 through assistance granted under a fire man5 agement assistance declaration made at the re6 quest of a State; 

7 (C) consider the unique conditions that af8 fect the general welfare of Indian Tribal Gov9 ernments; and 

10 (D) enter into government-to-government 

11 consultation with Indian Tribal Governments 

12 regarding the regulations. 


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Union Calendar No. 668 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9121 

[Report No. 118–817] 

A BILL 

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 

for other purposes. agement assistance declarations and grants, and Tribal Governments to directly request fire manand Emergency Assistance Act to allow Indian 

DECEMBER 5, 2024 

Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 

State of the Union and ordered to be printed 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB